Best Food Tour in Reykjavik (The Day I Tried Rotten Shark!)

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Are you considering going on a food tour in Reykjavik? Here’s everything you need to know before you book one, what to expect, and my honest opinions! 

Reykjavik is one of my favourite cities in the world. Not only is it the gateway to some of the most beautiful scenery in the whole of Europe, but it’s also a food lover’s paradise. We recently had the chance to take a food tour in Reykjavik and it made me fall in love with the country even more.

We tried a range of delicious foods, from scrummy soups to the dreaded fermented shark! And yes, I actually ate it!

So, if you’re thinking about booking a food tour in Reykjavik and want to know what to expect, here’s what happened during our evening with Your Friend in Reykjavik.

Iceland’s Culinary Scene: A Brief Overview

First of all, let me tell you that exploring Reykjavik‘s culinary scene is also a great way to understand more about Icelandic culture.

One of the best things about our tour with Your Friend in Reykjavik was that not only did our expert guide dive into the food itself, but he also told us stories about the history. We learned about the legends, hidden gems of Iceland, and myths. It was as much a history lesson as it was a food tour! 

The food itself is rooted in centuries-old traditions of fishing, farming, and foraging. Icelandic cuisine has a deep connection to the land and the sea with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients that capture the essence of this unique island. 

Due to the island’s isolation and unique climate, it’s also heavily influenced by Norse traditions. Methods of preservation such as drying, fermenting, and smoking still play crucial roles today. 

Because of this, food in Iceland is as diverse as it is delicious!

You’ll find hearty staples like Icelandic lamb, skyr, and fresh fish as well as more adventurous picks such as the fermented shark and various things smoked with dung. Yes, dung – that is not a typo!

So, trust me, embarking on a food tour in Reykjavik requires a certain level of open-mindedness! But, whether you’re savouring a bowl of piping hot lobster soup by the harbour or indulging in creative small plates at a trendy bistro, Iceland’s culinary scene will certainly give you a memorable experience.

✅ I recommend this food tour in Reykjavik

Why Should You Take a Food Tour in Reykjavik?

It’s no secret that Iceland is a pretty expensive country – especially when it comes to eating out! There are plenty of things that I’ve often been curious about trying but not entirely sure I would like. 

Going on a food walking tour in Iceland is a great way to try a lot of different dishes at once. It gives you a chance to test the waters and eat a range of delicious Icelandic food that you may not have tried otherwise. 

Plus, if you’re a fan of good food, it’s just a no-brainer. People don’t often consider Iceland to be a food-lovers nation. Especially compared to the likes of other European countries like Italy and Spain.

However, when you consider the island’s remote location, the fact that they can’t grow any crops, and the harsh weather conditions year-round, the local cuisines are completely fascinating.

So, it’s also the perfect way to learn about the history of the people and how determined they were to make this little island their home.

Highlights of the Food Tour Experience and What to Expect

We went on the Food Lovers Tour by Your Friend in Reykjavik. You can easily book tickets online and they will send you an email confirmation and meeting point to get to for the time of your booking.

We had a fun local guide called Stefan and he met us at the meeting point. It was quite a small group, which I was grateful for, as I always find it harder to hear the guide in a large group. 

There were 12 of us in total, including Stefan. After introducing himself, he gave us a bit of information about the foodie adventure we were about to go on. We then headed to our first stop. 

Our first stop

This was a small restaurant called Le Kock which serves a range of traditional food.

Our first foods to try were little starter-like bites: lamb tartare smoked with sheep’s dung and Icelandic salmon with cream cheese on sweet bread.

Stefan deliberately waited until we’d finished eating the lamb and had all said it was delicious before telling us that it was smoked with sheep’s dung! But, I wasn’t too put off. It had a rich, smokey flavour – almost as though it had been cooked on a campfire – and it was completely delicious.  

Our second stop

Our next stop was a place that I’d been looking forward to: Bæjarins Beztu or bbp. This famous Icelandic hot dog stand has been in business since 1937. It’s the oldest hot dog seller in Iceland, and there are now several of these food trucks around the capital. We even saw one at the airport!

Seriously, do not underestimate Icelandic hot dogs. I had one during my first time in the country. I was visiting Iceland in winter and there was a little hot dog stand right next to our hotel. I’d been wanting to try another one ever since!

Bbp serves hot dogs in the traditional way: boiled in beer, in a fresh bun with crispy onions at the bottom, ketchup, and Icelandic mustard (which isn’t really mustard at all!). It’s absolutely stunning. Even if you don’t go on a foodie tour in Reykjavik, I recommend trying these if you’re in the country.

Our third stop

After this, we headed to a little place along one of the main roads called Icelandic Street Food which serves amazing food and drinks. After heading upstairs to our table, we were served a steaming lamb soup with crusty bread. 

The soup was delicious. Stefan explained that, because the lamb in Iceland is completely stress-free, it has a different flavour to lamb than you’ll typically experience in other countries. And he was right. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and so delicious. The bread was sourdough and also super scrummy. 

The restaurant also served soup in a bread bowl. The bread we were served was a slightly unusual shape, which turned out to be because it was the leftovers scooped out from the bowls. I love that and it’s great to see Icelandic restaurants not wasting their produce. 

Plus, one of the things that I especially loved about this experience was what we did with our leftover bread. Many people didn’t eat all of their bread (I was starting to get full at this point, so totally understandable!). But, instead of binning it, Stefan scooped it all up. He then led us around the corner of the restaurant where we found a lake. 

On the lake were hundreds of birds: primarily geese and swans. Stefan explained that the birds in Iceland are some of the friendliest in the world and it’s one of the only places where you can feed swans out of your hand without getting bitten.

He then proceeded to feed the swans bread from his hands and let us try as well. It was a fantastic addition to the tour!

Our fourth stop

Once we’d finally run out of bread, we headed to our fourth stop on our Reykjavik food tour. This was something a little different: a shop called Tastes of Iceland.

Inside were countless jars and bottles containing all sorts of homemade sauces, pickles, chutneys, sweets, and treats. 

We tried a range of things including Icelandic liquorice, dried cod, a special chocolate mixed with liquorice and, a selection of hot sauces. These ranged from mild to pretty spicy but always had a focus on delicious flavours instead of just pure spice. 

We tried around 10 different things here including 5 hot sauces. 

Our fifth and final stop

Last but not least, we headed to our final stop of the evening: a little restaurant called DASS Reykjavik. Our first course was salted cod served on a bed of creamy mash, with carrot, and tomatoes. It was super yummy and one of my favourite dishes on the entire tour. 

After that, I saw the waitress out of the corner of my eye preparing a little tray of cocktail sticks and shots of clear alcohol. This turned out to be the fermented shark, paired with a shot of ‘Black Death’, or Brennivinv.

Stefan told us the correct technique for eating the shark – not smelling it at all costs, breathing out before you put it in your mouth and chewing no more than 5 times. He then counted down from 3 and we all ate our shark. 

Admittedly, I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it again, but It honestly wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Stefan had built up this moment throughout the evening and when it eventually came to try the shark I was expecting it to be completely disgusting. But it wasn’t too bad.

It sort of tasted like halloumi that had gone bad and become slightly fishy. It’s very chewy and the aftertaste was worse than the taste itself!

Around 10 minutes after we’d had the shark, we washed it down with the shot. Stefan told us that we had to wait that long or the ammonia would end up coming back up all night. Not something I’d like to experience!

Our final course was dessert. This was a yummy pudding made out of skyr and blueberries, a little bit like a cheesecake. It was light, refreshing and very welcome after the hardcore vibes of the shark and the shot!

The end of the tour

After we’d all finished our dessert, Stefan told us a story about the logo of Your Friend in Reykjavik to wrap up the tour. 

It’s called the Wayfinder and means that ‘you will always find your way even if it’s not exactly where you were going’. He then gave everyone a little commemorative magnet in the shape of the Wayfinder. 

I thought this was a lovely way to end the tour and we all applauded our very well-deserving host. 

The day after, I also received an email in my inbox with a few photographs that Stefan had taken of the tour group. This was another lovely touch.

✅ I recommend this food tour in Reykjavik

Practical Information and Booking Details

So, have I convinced you to book a food tour with Your Friend in Reykjavik yet? Here’s all the details that you might be wondering before you book:

• The meeting point for the tour is Ingólfur Square, right in the centre of downtown Reykjavik
• I recommend wrapping up warm for the tour. Although you will be indoors at the restaurants there’s a large part of the tour where you will be outside and Icelandic weather is notoriously unpredictable, no matter what time of year you visit.
• The tour lasts around 3 hours but prepared for it to potentially run over. Ours ended up being closer to 4 hours because we enjoyed listening to the stories and stopped to feed the swans. 
• There are several starting times for the tour, between 11:30 and 17:00. We opted for the 17:00 tour.
• You can inform the company of any dietary requirements when you book.
• If you want a more specific experience, you can even book private tours to tailor your tour directly to your tastes.
• You’ll have the option to buy extra drinks on the tour if you want to. Always check the price of these as alcoholic drinks in Iceland can be expensive!
• The price of the tour is £96 per person.

Your Friend in Reykjavik Food Lovers Tour: Was it Worth it?

So, was this Reykjavik food tour worth it? 100% yes! We had an absolutely fantastic evening with Stefan, got to try so much traditional Icelandic cuisine, and learned a lot about Icelandic history. 

All of the guides at Your Friend in Reykjavik are locals with ample experience in their subject. We could tell by the way Stefan spoke about the food and the country that he was passionate about it and loved what he did. This was one of the things that made the experience so good. 

I spoke to everyone in our group after the tour and they all said it was completely worth it and that they would definitely recommend it to other people coming to Reykjavik.

Final Thoughts on The Best Food Tour in Reykjavik

Overall, if you love local food, stories, myths, and legends, I cannot recommend this amazing tour enough. You’ll have a fantastic evening learning about the country, meet some wonderful people, and will definitely be going home with a full belly! 

Plus, you’ll make memories that you’ll never forget. I’m certainly not going to forget the time I tried a rotten shark in a hurry! So, if you want a unique experience in Iceland, you can’t go wrong with this. We all had an absolutely wonderful time.

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